Associated Press
- Georgia’s Secretary of State is opening an investigation into a call made by former President Donald Trump.
- On the call, Trump pressured state election officials to “find votes” and “find more fraud.”
- David Worley, a Democrat on Georgia’s elections board, told Reuters that the investigation could preface criminal charges.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has opened an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Georgia state officials to illegally overturn legitimate election results, Reuters reported.
Raffensperger’s office said that the inquiry is “fact-finding and administrative in nature,” and that findings will be referred to the Republican-majority state Board of Elections.
The investigation centers on a call Trump made to Raffensperger in January, where he demanded the state official “find 11,780 votes” to help him win Georgia.
During the call, Raffensperger pushed back against Trump’s demands. Election officials across Georgia disputed Trump’s claims that the election was fraudulent or unfair.
Once the state completes its investigation into the call, it can refer findings to the state’s attorney general or elsewhere for prosecution.
"The Secretary of State's office investigates complaints it receives," Walter Jones, a spokesman for the office, told Reuters in a statement on Monday. "The investigations are fact-finding and administrative in nature. Any further legal efforts will be left to the Attorney General."
The New York Times reported that Fani Willis, the Democratic district attorney of Fulton County, is also considering launching a criminal inquiry into Trump's actions.
Trump also repeatedly called and pressured Republican Governor Brian Kemp, and taunted him on Twitter, in an attempt to have Kemp call a special legislative session to overturn the election results.
David Worley, the only Democrat on Georgia's elections board, told Reuters that the administrative inquiry could preface criminal charges.
"Any investigation of a statutory violation is a potential criminal investigation depending on the statute involved," he said, adding, "The complaint that was received involved a criminal violation."
Worley also explained that he personally would initiate a motion at Wednesday's elections board meeting, to formally refer the inquiry to the Fulton County district attorney's office.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, told the AP there was "nothing improper or untoward about a scheduled call between President Trump, Secretary Raffensperger and lawyers on both sides."
Insider has reached out to the Trump Organization, the Georgia secretary of state's office, and the state election board for comment.